Valdice

Municipality in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Flag

Coat of arms

50°27′18″N 15°23′6″E / 50.45500°N 15.38500°E / 50.45500; 15.38500Country

Czech RepublicRegion Hradec Králové District JičínFounded1627Area

• Total0.92 km² (0.36 sq mi)Elevation

308 m (1,010 ft)Population

(2023-01-01)^[1]

• Total1,323 • Density1,400/km² (3,700/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

507 11

Websitewww.valdice.cz

Valdice (until 1950 Kartouzy-Valdice) is a municipality and village in Jičín District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants.

Etymology

Valdice was named after the nearby deer park (from German Wald, meaning "forest"). It was also called Kartouzy after the local monastery.^[2]

Geography

Valdice is located about 2 kilometres (1 mi) northeast of Jičín and 41 km (25 mi) northwest of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Jičín Uplands.

History

The village of Valdice was founded together with a Carthusian monastery by Albrecht von Wallenstein in 1627. About 20 houses were built for craftsmen working for the monks in the monastery. In 1782, the monastery was abolished by Joseph II. The prison in the premises of the former monastery was established in 1857 by Austrian Empire.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1869	1,142	—
1880	1,339	+17.3%
1890	1,348	+0.7%
1900	981	−27.2%
1910	1,077	+9.8%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	1,244	+15.5%
1930	1,018	−18.2%
1950	554	−45.6%
1961	689	+24.4%
1970	780	+13.2%

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	1,346	+72.6%
1991	1,582	+17.5%
2001	1,522	−3.8%
2011	2,412	+58.5%
2021	2,373	−1.6%

Source: Censuses^[3]^[4]

Economy

The Valdice Prison is the main employer in Valdice. It is classified as a high-security prison with a capacity of 1,023 prisoners. The prison employs more than 400 people.^[5]

Transport

The railway line Hradec Králové–Turnov passes through the municipality, but there is no train station. The municipality is served by the Jičín zastávka station in neighbouring Jičín.^[6]

Sights

The prison is located in the former Carthusian monastery, which was built in the Baroque style. Its premises are inaccessible. In the monastery complex there is also the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.^[2]

There is a Baroque statue of Saint John of Nepomuk from 1696.^[2]

Notable people

Jiří Stříbrný (1880–1955), politician; died here

References

^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2023". Czech Statistical Office. 2023-05-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Historie" (in Czech). Obec Valdice. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011 – Okres Jičín" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 2015-12-21. pp. 19–20.
^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 2021-03-27.
^ "Věznice Valdice: Základní informace" (in Czech). Prison Service of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
^ "Detail stanice Jičín zast" (in Czech). České dráhy. Retrieved 2024-03-07.